Carabao Situation Report, January to March 2023

The January to March 2023 carabao production was estimated at 28.31 thousand metric tons, liveweight, indicating a decline of -1.2 percent from the recorded carabao production of 28.65 thousand metric tons, liveweight in the same period of 2022. (Figure 1)

During the period, Western Visayas was the top producer of carabao with 3.89 thousand metric tons, liveweight or 13.7 percent share to the total carabao production. Completing the top five regions with the highest volume of carabao production at liveweight during the period were the following:

a. Eastern Visayas, 2.31 thousand metric tons;
b. SOCCSKSARGEN, 2.26 thousand metric tons;
c. Ilocos Region, 2.13 thousand metric tons; and
d. Zamboanga Peninsula, 2.09 thousand metric tons.

These regions accounted for 44.8 percent share to the country's total carabao production during the quarter.

Relative to their outputs in the same quarter of 2022, eight regions registered decrements in production during the quarter. In terms of level, SOCCSKSARGEN recorded the highest decline of 0.32 thousand metric tons, from 2.58 thousand metric tons in the first quarter of 2022 to 2.26 thousand metric tons in the same quarter of 2023.

As of 31 March 2023, the total carabao inventory was estimated at 2,769.10 thousand heads, which indicates a decrease of -0.1 percent compared with the previous year's same period count of 2,771.45 thousand heads. About 99.2 percent of the country's carabao population came from smallhold farms, while the remaining 0.7 percent and 0.1 percent were from semi-commercial farms and commercial farms, respectively. (Figure 2)

Bicol Region recorded the highest carabao population of 325.55 thousand heads as of 31 March 2023. This was followed by Western Visayas and Central Luzon with corresponding inventories of 261.72 thousand heads and 248.54 thousand heads. These three regions shared 30.2 percent to the country's total carabao population during the period.

The average farmgate price of carabao for meat was quoted at PhP 147.22 per kilogram, liveweight during the reference quarter. This was 3.6 percent higher than the previous year's same quarter average farmgate price of PhP 142.07 per kilogram, liveweight. (Figure 4)

During the reference quarter, the highest average farmgate price was recorded in March at PhP 159.05 per kilogram, liveweight, while the lowest average farmgate price was quoted in January at PhP 141.03 per kilogram, liveweight.

DIVINA GRACIA L. DEL PRADO, PhD
(Assistant National Statistician)
Officer-in-Charge, Deputy National Statistician
Sectoral Statistics Office

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